Closet auger



R. G. HUNT CLOSET AUGER Feb. 18, 1964 Filed spt. 24, 1982 T s mTH W Hm am T G Y N w: om. w M 1 ,1,11 e B W 'fi... o 111111, 2 w 111,1, wf lumm United States Patent O 3,121,244 CLOSET AUGER Robert G. Hunt, Los Angeles, Calif., assignor to Marco Prodne Company, Los Angeles, Calif., a firm Filed Sept. 24, 1962, Ser. No. 225,738 S Claims. (Cl. 15-1043) This invention has to do with closet augers such as are used for cleaning out or removing stoppages in waste pipes, particularly those leading from water closets.

Closet augers conventionally include a tubular barrel or casing having an approximate length of three feet, a flexible plumbefs Snake of about the same length, and a handle also of about the same length `provided on the end of the Snake. The handle and Snake may be tele- Scoped in the bar-tel o-r casing but not with respect to each other. This construction provides a usable length of Snake of about three feet. Attempts have ben made to provide a closet auger having a longer usable length of Snake fwithout increasing the over-all length of the tool, but such attempts have not proved entirely satisfactory.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel, improved closet auger which provides a usable length of fiexible Snake substantially double the length of the bar- 'rel or casing without inoreasing the over-all length of the tool when eontracted.

Another object is to provide such an auger which includes a handle having a tubular housing or drive tube telescopically associated With and rotatable in the main housing of the tool adapted to house substantially half the length of the snake, which serves to transmit rotary movement to the Snake in any position of the parts, that is, whether the Snake is fully extended, fully retracted or partially retracted.

A further object is to provide an efficient and economical two-in-'one closet auger of the type indicated which can be operated as a conventional short, or three-foot auger, and also operated as a long or six-foot auger.

Still another object is to provide an easily operated device having positive means for looking the Snake in the drive tube or inner housing in selected positions therein in an efficient quick manner 'without the need of any tools, keys, or the like.

A further object is to provide a telescoping handle con- Struction having high torque strength.

Another object is to provide a telescoping handle which accommodates and operates efiiciently with either a core reinforced Wire or hollow type of flexible snake.

These and other objects will be apparent from the drawing and the following description. Referring to the drawing.

PIG. l is an exterior view of a device embodying the invention shown in normal or contracted position;

iFIG. 2 is an exterior view of the device of FIG. l with the snake 'in fully extended position;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to 'FIG. 2, but showing the parts in position for extending the Snake beyond the position of FIG. 1 to that of FIG. 2;

PIG. 4 is -an enlarged longitudinal Sectional view through the casing and the principal parts of the device;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view on line 5-5 of FIG. 4; and

HG. 6 is a sectional view on line 6-6 of FIG. 4, but showing the Snake extended.

More particularly desoribing the invention, numeral 11 generally indicates the tubular barrel or casing of the closet auger. This is preferably made of -metal and is provided with a curved end portion 11' to form a guide for causing a fiexible Snake 12 to 'move axially at an angle .to the casing. The end portion 11' is covered with a guard tube 14 which may .be made of a plastic so as ICC not to mar or mark a toilet bowl. The Snake, which is shown provided with a Wire head 15, may be of any conventional type and is shown as a helically coiled body of spring wire, designated 16.

Within the casing 11, which is preferably cylindrical, I provide a drive tube or inner casing 18 which is preferably but not necessarily noncircular in cross section. The particular one illustrated is substantially square in cross section, being Slightly rounded at the corners, as best seen in FIG. 5. The outer end of tube 18 is provided with a crank handle 19, the inner end of which is fixed in a block 20 fitted in and welded, 'brazed or pinned to the tube 18, a pin 21 being shown for the purpose.

The inner end of the Snake 12 is cfixed on a drive head 22 having a main body 23 which is sha-ped to fi't closely but Slidably in the tube 18 and a reduced shank or Stem 24 which is shown as provided with a helical groove 25 to mount the inner end portion of the snake 14. Any suitable means may be tused for seouring the Snake to the shank.

Member 22 is also provided with a detent consisting of a pin 26 mounted in a bore l27 in the member 22. This detent is normally urged outwardly by spring 28 bearing against member 22 and received in a recess 29. The pin is retained by an inwardly upset fiange 22'. The detent is selectively received in any one of two or more holes 3%, 31 provided in the tube 18.

In the operation of the device, with the parts in the position of PIG. l, the drive tube 18 is withdrawn from the casing 11 to retract the Snake into the housing. The Snake then can be advanced through the toilet bowl by telescoping the tubes 11 and 18, the operator conveniently grasping the drive tube with -one hand and the casing with the other. As conditions require, the handle can be turned to rotate the Snake and assist its progress through the pipe. When the snake has been advanced as far as permitted by this setting and to the position of FIG. l or nearly so, the detent 26 may be pressed in and the drive tube 18 withdrawn until the detent is positioned in the hole 31. The drive tube can then be rotated and again advanced or telescoped into the housing to fully extend the Snake as shown in FIG. 2.

The drive tube is also effective to rotate the Snake irrespective of whether the detent is received in one of the ho'les 30, 31 and thus the tool can be used with the Snake partially housed in the drive tube. This is due to the corresponding cross Sectional Shape of the drive tube 18 and the drive head 22. l-Iowever, the drive tube need not be of the cross sectional Shape shown and may even be circular provided the driving head on the end of the snake is Slidable but not rotatable in the tube 18. 'In the case of a circular tube, a keyway and key means may be provided.

Although I have shown and described preferred forms of any invention, I contemp'late that various changes and modifications can be made therein without depairting from the invention, the scope of which is indicated by the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a closet auger, a tubular casing, a drive tube in said casing, said drive tube being Slidable axially within the casing and being rotatable therein, a crank handle fixed to the onter end of said drive tube and projecting beyond the corresponding end of said casing, a flexible plum'befs snake partially received in said drive tube and projecting beyond the other end thereof and beyond the corresponding other end of said casing, said Snake being movab'le axially in said drive tube, `driving connection means between said drive tube and said snake whereby rotation of' said 'tube causes rotation of said Snake, and means for releasably locking said Snake against axial analne/t '3 movernent in said drive ltube at selected positions therein, said driving connectionv means being operablew independently of the means for releasably locking said Snake against axial movernent in the drive tube.

2. The closet auger set forthgin claim 1 in which said drive tube is substantially the same length as Said casing.

3. A, closet auger as set forth in claim lin which the means for releasably locking said Snake against movenient in Said'drive tube eomprises a detent carried by said Snake and openings in said drive tube spaed axially thereof; 'for seiectively receiving the detent;l

4. A closet auger as set forth in claim 1v in which said drive tube is noncircular in cross section and in which said snake 'is provided at its inner end with a drive member slidable in, but not rotatabie in, said drive tube.

5. A closet auger, comprising a cylindrical casing, a drive tube of rectangular cross section in said casing, said tube being movable axial'ly and 'rotatably relative to the casing, a crank handle "fixed to an end of said drive tube and projecting beyond said casing,V a 'drive head of rectangular cross section in said drive tube, said head being movable longitudinally of the drive tube but fitting sufficiently close therein as not to be rotatable therein, a plum'befs Snake Secured at one end to said head and projecting beyondl said tube and casing, and interengagingV means on said head and drive tube for releasably llooking said head against movement relative to the tube at selected positions therein.

d v6. The closet auger Set forth in clairn 5 in which the interengaging means on said head and drive tube comprises a spring-biased detent carried by said head .and Spaced detent-receiving holes in said drive tube.

7. In a closet auger, a tubular casing, an inner tube telescopically associated With the casing and rotatable relative thereto,A a handle fixed to the outer end of said a tube and extending beyond said casing for enabling a person to move said tube iongi'tudinally and rotatably relative .to the casing, a fiexible plumber's Snake received in said tube and projecting beyond the other end of the tube and the casing. said Snake being telescopically movable in said tube, means at the outer end of said inner tube effectively closing said outer` end against passage of the Snake therethrough, and interengaging means on said Snake and tube eitectively preventing relative7 rotation thereof.

8. The closet auger set forth in claim 7 in which means |is provided for releasably securing Said` Snake to saidV tube at at least two aXially spaced positions.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,2'l7,062 Powers Feb. 20, 1917 1,851,766 Hotchkiss Mar. 29, 1932 1,982,402 Shade Nov. 27, '1934 2,818290 Harocopo Dec. 31, 1957- 2 ,932,047' Johnston V Apr. 12, 1960 

1. IN A CLOSET AUGER, A TUBULAR CASING, A DRIVE TUBE IN SAID CASING, SAID DRIVE TUBE BEING SLIDABLE AXIALLY WITHIN THE CASING AND BEING ROTATABLE THEREIN, A CRANK HANDLE FIXED TO THE OUTER END OF SAID DRIVE TUBE AND PROJECTING BEYOND THE CORRESPONDING END OF SAID CASING, A FLEXIBLE PLUMBER''S SNAKE PARTIALLY RECEIVED IN SAID DRIVE TUBE AND PROJECTING BEYOND THE OTHER END THEREOF AND BEYOND THE CORRESPONDING OTHER END OF SAID CASING, SAID SNAKE BEING MOVABLE AXIALLY IN SAID DRIVE TUBE, DRIVING CONNECTION MEANS BETWEEN SAID DRIVE TUBE AND SAID SNAKE WHEREBY ROTATION OF SAID TUBE CAUSES ROTATION OF SAID SNAKE, AND MEANS FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING SAID SNAKE AGAINST AXIAL MOVEMENT IN SAID DRIVE TUBE AT SELECTED POSITIONS THEREIN, SAID DRIVING CONNECTION MEANS BEING OPERABLE INDEPENDENTLY OF THE MEANS FOR RELEASABLY LOCKING SAID SNAKE AGAINST AXIAL MOVEMENT IN THE DRIVE TUBE. 